


Crash and Burn

by phfatbeatrice



Series: The Kamihama of the Future [1]
Category: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:02:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28994919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phfatbeatrice/pseuds/phfatbeatrice
Summary: Iroha's powers are waning, leaving her to feel emotionally raw and anxious. She ends up getting into the alcohol cupboard to cope and Yachiyo finds her drunk. A prequel to "My Beautiful Iroha".
Relationships: Nanami Yachiyo/Tamaki Iroha
Series: The Kamihama of the Future [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126979
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Crash and Burn

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to my Yachiyo/Iroha smut fic. I've ended up making basically a whole universe around this aged up world that I originally made specifically for the smut fic but here we are! So if there are more, I'll add them all to a list on my account, but for now, it's just these two.

“Iroha-chan, now!” Mifuyu called out, having deflected the familiar’s attack, leaving an opening for the younger girl. 

Iroha chimed in, “Alright!” She said as she aimed her crossbow in the direction of the familiar. She pointed the arrow and shot it. However, unlike her expectation, the magic arrow only made it about halfway to the familiar. This left the familiar able to hit Mifuyu, knocking her down. The pink haired girl ran forward, not even addressing that it was unsafe. 

“Hey, back down!” Yachiyo called out as she rushed forward, aiming her halbert forward as she got closer to the other two. “Tsuruno!” She directed as she threw another halbert in the direction of the familiar as if to distract it. 

The mightiest magical girl jumped forward, her firy fans spanned out to their full potential as she moved more close range with the familiar. With the use of the martial arts training she had been receiving and her magic, Tsuruno managed to land a few blows before turning her attention to her teammates who were all near each other on the ground, “We should retreat.” She called out, not liking that idea but knowing it was their safest bet. 

Yachiyo used both of her hands to pick up the two girls on the ground before nodding, “Sounds like a plan.” She said as she began guiding them away from the familiar. 

The team of veteran magical girls retreated, not happy with that necessity. Iroha was still completely in shock over what had happened within that labyrinth. 

Once safely out of the barrier, Yachiyo looked between the other three. “What happened back there?” 

Mifuyu glanced over at Iroha and so did Tsuruno. The younger girl had been the one who was supposed to finish the familiar off. Between the four of them, Iroha was the youngest, thus the one with the most magic potential. In fact, the only reason they had pursued the familiar in the first place was because they had all agreed that it was something that they could defeat easily. 

Iroha shook her head, her eyes showing just how confused she was by the events that had played out. “I-I don’t know. I aimed like always… I just… I didn’t have enough magic to make it travel the distance I needed.” 

Yachiyo couldn’t help as she glanced between the other veterans. She and the other two were all in their twenties, an age unprecedented in magical girls. Even Kyuubey didn’t know what to expect from them. Both Yachiyo and Mifuyu had started noticing magical decline in their late teens, Mifuyu at 18 and Yachiyo at 19. Tsuruno had started struggling with her magic just in the last few months, learning to incorporate traditional martial arts as a way to make up for the loss. But Iroha was only 17. 

“Maybe it was just a fluke.” Mifuyu suggested, looking at Iroha with a motherly gaze. 

“It had to be, right?” Tsuruno said as she tapped her shoe against the asphalt. 

Iroha didn’t know. She summoned her soul gem, studying it with her pink eyes. She had noted recently how the gem didn’t have that extra bright glow like it once had, but that kind of thing died out much before their powers would reflect it. At least, that’s the experiences of the other three veteran girls. 

Yachiyo put her hand over Iroha’s holding the gem. “Either way, we need to be cautious. We should go to Mitama…” She said, looking at Iroha with a little bit of concern. “Maybe you just need an adjustment.” The model stated as she removed her hand. 

“Would she be able to tell… You know, if…?” Iroha asked, her thin brows furrowing together as she worried. If all four of them were losing their powers, they would have no way to defend themselves in such a place like Kamihama. The witches were still inflated in power levels, even after 2 years. Powerful witches meant powerful familiars. 

Iroha’s mind was racing as she had already started trying to build a plan around their protection. There were seven of them in Mikazuki Villa, only three still young enough to properly fight if she excluded herself. 

Yachiyo snapped her out of her thoughts with a hand on her shoulder. “Like Mifuyu said, it was probably just a fluke.” 

~*~*~*~

Four hours later, the girls finally returned back to their boarding home. Iroha’s eyes and nose were still red from the crying she had done at the Coordinator’s shop. Mitama, while trying to be gentle, had shared that she did feel the same weakening that was evident in the other three magical girls’ soul gems, implying a decline in her magical abilities. She had tried to comfort the pink haired girl, who had burst into tears right then and there. 

Iroha was so tired but also felt so restless at the anxiety of this change in her life. It was one faulty arrow. One faulty arrow that had changed her whole future. 

It wasn’t like a decline in magic meant that she was automatically damned. After all, Mifuyu’s magic had been on a decline basically since the petite girl had met her. It wasn’t like corruption or a death sentence that they knew of, but it was still uncharted territory. After all, as more girls entered their twenties and started dealing with this decline in magic, it had become another one of Touka’s projects to study them and try to learn more about it. 

Either way though, she was only 17. She was still in high school. She had met girls who didn’t contract until her age. It was all so strange and hung over her like a dark cloud. 

The light haired girl had insisted on retreating to her room instead of staying out to eat dinner. She didn’t think that she could handle the regular hustle and bustle of their regular dinner-time gatherings. Tsuruno and Felicia bickering and playing as Sana and Ui chatted about their adventures. Yachiyo and Mifuyu calmly discussing some important topic. Iroha’s mind was too occupied to deal with that at the moment. She was also feeling sick. She couldn’t even imagine making herself eat at that moment. 

Iroha ended up staring up at the ceiling with teary eyes as she studied her soul gem yet again. She was fearful of what the future entailed if she could no longer fight. She was supposed to be the team leader, a decision she and Yachiyo had come to near two years prior after the Magius had rehashed some painful memories for the model. She couldn’t be a good leader if she couldn’t even fight alongside her team. 

Her mind went through hoops like this for what felt like hours. She would cry, calm down a little, think of new stressful situations, start crying again. Eventually she heard the rest of the house settle down and go to their rooms. When this happened, the pink-haired girl slipped out of her room slowly. She checked the halls before padding her way down the stairs quietly. 

If she was going to have to deal with such an adult problem of being a veteran magical girl, she decided that she was going to deal with it like an adult. She reached up to the second shelf of the tea cabinet where Yachiyo slid her alcohol. It wasn’t hidden, but there was a general consensus in the Villa that only Yachiyo, Mifuyu, and Tsuruno (the ones of legal age) could drink it. However, Iroha didn’t care at that moment. She had seen it help relax a manic Mifuyu after the short haired girl had gotten worked up over a past memory that something in the house reminded her of. If Iroha remembered correctly, she had found a hand-drawn sign by Yachiyo forbidding the use of tarot cards within the Villa. 

If it could calm Mifuyu from near hysterics, maybe it could calm her from her own upset. She knew it was wrong as she poured a bit of the rice liquor into a small sake pitcher. She grabbed one of the porcelain shot glasses and carried the two things to the living room table. She sat down at the table, putting the drink down atop the glass surface. 

Two or three shots later and Iroha’s face was flushed as she sat with her head on her arms, her bloodshot eyes studying her soul gem that sat on the table in front of her face. She hadn’t been wrong about the alcohol calming her down. It was more like it muddied her ability to think clearly so she couldn’t properly play out all of the scenarios that she had been fearing. 

No, instead she sat there as she thought of the different things that she and the others had been through together. She remembered when she first met Yachiyo and the way that the mature magical girl had all but actually hurt her to try and get her to leave Kamihama. She remembered winning over the model’s trust, when she first moved in. At the beginning, it had just been Iroha, Yachiyo, and Felicia in the house. Maybe she had been immature, but Iroha sometimes wondered what it would be like to actually be together with Yachiyo. Back when she was 15, she laughed at herself for thinking such a thing because they were from two different worlds. But now, they communicated everything with one another. 

Yet Iroha hadn’t voiced just how terrified she had become of losing her magic. She hadn’t yet told Yachiyo of her fears, of her worry on the subject, thinking she had at least another year before such a thing was actually a problem that was imminent. Thinking of that again, Iroha turned back the last of the alcohol she poured into the small sake pitcher, biting her lip as she hissed at the way it burned. 

Why was this so hard? She had a support system. It hadn’t been like the recounting of events Mifuyu had shared with her once. She wasn’t alone, she didn’t have to fear. But this all was so scary. What if she wasn’t wanted anymore now that she wasn’t useful as a leader to their team? That thought was stupid and Iroha knew it. These girls were her family — save for Ui who was her actual sister. She needn’t fear over the thought of losing them. The only real fear when it came to losing them was from a real threat and not something as stupid as her losing her magic. 

The pink haired girl turned her eyes back to her soul gem and she ran her slender fingers over the stone. She was getting upset for no reason. She hadn’t discredited Yachiyo when the veteran had disclosed with her that she was losing her magic. Why would she fear such a thing would happen to her? Honestly, it wasn’t even the fear of losing everyone but specifically Yachiyo. When the elder magical girl had first tried to reject her such a long time ago, when Iroha had first learned the truth of magical girls, it tore her apart. Iroha couldn’t accept that truth. She liked to think that they were close enough now that Yachiyo would feel the same way had they had a falling out of sorts again. 

“Iroha? What are you doing still up…?” The calm voice of the aforementioned girl rang through the room before she noticed the shot glass or sake pitcher. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds before she realized what she was seeing. “Iroha?” She repeated as she approached the girl. Yachiyo wanted to be mad. She really wanted to be. But she couldn’t find it in herself. Yachiyo was pretty sure she had drank when she first realized she was losing her powers too. It was like losing a piece of herself, one that she would never get back no matter the work put in. 

The younger girl turned her head to look at Yachiyo before she sucked in a small breath and spoke, “You… don’t hate me now, right?” The question felt out of context, and Yachiyo couldn’t place if Iraho was asking this because she had been drinking or because of her decline in magic. 

Either way, the answer stayed the same. “No. Why would I ever hate you?” Yachiyo asked as she came over to the table, sitting down beside the pink haired girl. Yachiyo had gone through all of the painful emotions that came with losing her magic. She was still going through it. It was an ever changing status, one that each day brought something new that was missing. For Yachiyo, it had started with the damage she could do with her halbert, the amount of water she could control. Now she could guide their team but her fighting strength was poor at best. Her magic would deplete quickly, making actually using her magic difficult. 

The smaller girl shook her head as she rubbed her face. “I... I am...” Iroha started before she shook her head. Even with the world spinning, undoubtedly because of the alcohol she had consumed, she understood that if she started speaking the thoughts in her mind, it could be offensive to Yachiyo. After all, the eldest of their group had been losing her powers for years. 

Yachiyo understood though. She didn’t need to hear Iroha say it to know the kinds of thoughts were probably running through the pink haired girl’s head, because she had the same feelings. It was hard to face losing something that was important to their survival. It was terrifying. “Iroha.” The older girl said softly before she pulled the girl into an embrace. “This doesn’t make you any less than.” She spoke, her words smooth and mature like always. 

The high schooler pressed her face into Yachiyo’s neck as she started crying again. “I-I just...” The fact that she was so young, and she hadn’t been prepared didn’t help. “I...” she choked out, holding onto Yachiyo like she was a life line. “I-I was so scared you would hate me... I... I’m not good leader material anymore and-and...” 

Yachiyo pulled herself away enough that she could hold up Iroha’s chin. She needed to look the drunk girl in her eyes to get her point across. “This doesn’t diminish you as an important part of our team.” She said, her voice holding a bit of a stern air to it. 

Iroha wasn’t sure that that was enough as her ears buzzed because of the alcohol in her system. Honestly, she wasn’t sure anything would make her feel really okay about the issues with her magic. She felt damaged because of the issues with her magic. Either way, the lighter magical girl looked up at the model, her eyes wet with disappointment in her own abilities. 

Yachiyo couldn’t help her own sympathy as she looked at the younger magical girl. She had had plenty of sleepless nights because of her own fear of her slowly fading magic. “You’re not less than because of this.” Her steady words filled the room as she watched the unsure expression of her roommate. 

The drunk girl watched Yachiyo’s features for a long moment as she listened to her words. Maybe it was the alcohol but Iroha couldn’t help but stare at the full lips of the other. The sake reminded her wholeheartedly of her crush on the model, an embarrassing part of herself she pushed down to pretend wasn’t a feeling she felt normally. 

Iroha rubbed her face before leaning closer to Yachiyo. She stared up at the dark haired girl before she very boldly pressed her lips on the other’s. 

Yachiyo’s eyes widened and she almost pushed Iroha away. She didn’t so boldly push the younger magical girl off of her, instead slowly pulling away after a breath of the lighter girl. “Iroha...” she said softly, looking at her with uncertain eyes. 

“I... I’m sorry... I just... I’ve...” she stammered, her pink complexion even more flushed as she tried to stammer through an excuse. “I’ve... I’ve loved you... probably since we met. A little after? Sometime right after that.” Iroha said, looking up at the veteran magical girl. 

Yachiyo was surprised by the sudden confession before sucking in a small breath and looking away. “It’s the sake... if... if you can say the same thing tomorrow, I’ll listen. But tonight... it’s the sake.” The responsible adult between the two said with a sad smile. She couldn’t rebuttal Iroha’s feelings, especially tonight. The older magical girl had had thoughts of the lighter girl before but had locked those feelings away, something Yachiyo often did with feelings she couldn’t manage in a healthy way. 

Iroha pouted a little, but couldn’t necessarily doubt Yachiyo’s words. “But... I... I have wanted to tell you for... literal years....” Iroha shared, though she understood why the older magical girl had deflected for the time being.

“Alcohol makes you say silly things. But... if you mean it, you’ll be able to say it tomorrow.” Yachiyo said before she stood up and offered a hand to the smaller mess of a girl. “Come on. Let me help you to your room.” 

Iroha nodded a little as she took Yachiyo’s hand and unsteadily got to her feet. Even only 5-6 shots of sake had left her feeling completely dizzy and tired. Honestly, had Yachiyo not found her, Iroha probably would have passed out on their table. To some extent she was glad that wouldn’t have happened because she probably would have been found by Sana or Mifuyu early in the morning before school. School... she wasn’t sure she could even make it to school the next day. 

The darker haired magical girl held Iroha with trained strength as she walked slowly in the steps, making sure the unsteady girl was able to take each step before taking another step. “Are you feeling okay?” She checks in after having to grab Iroha’s shoulder when she stumbled a little despite Yachiyo’s grip on her right hand. 

Iroha nodded, even though she hadn’t actually steadied herself. “I’m fine.” She said as she reached for the railing. 

Yachiyo stopped on the stairs, not wanting to push the girl whom she was holding. “Let me know when you’re ready to move again.” 

The pink haired girl let out a small noise in agreement as she stared at the stairs for a moment before she looked over at Yachiyo. “Okay... let’s keep going.” She spoke softly. She bit her thin bottom lip, determination in her expression as she pushed herself to keep going. She focused to push forward, ignoring that she was tripping up a little. 

The older of the two put her arm across Iroha’s back so that the girl wouldn’t fall backwards. “Are you sure? I’d rather you not get hurt.” 

“I’m fine.” Iroha insisted, before biting her lip and focusing on the elevation of the steps. Once they got to the top of the staircase, she fell to her knees. “Safety!” She unintentionally yelled a little too loud for a house full of girls either preparing for bed or already in bed. 

Yachiyo looked a little surprised as the younger of the two fell to the floor. She frowned a little and leaned down, scooping Iroha up bridal style to help her to her room. “C’mon, you mess.” Yachiyo quipped and carried the girl towards her room, two doors down to the left. 

Iroha couldn’t help as her blush deepened from her drunk state. “Ya-Yachiyo.” She said softly, feeling like a princess scooped up be her Prince Charming. 

“I don’t know if you could actually walk yourself to your room… You must of had at least a couple shots only moments before I found you.” She said, shaking her head a little as she moved her arms to balance Iroha more to her left so she could open the door before sliding inside by turning to her side, bringing the pink haired girl into the room head first. 

Iroha let out a small laugh and nodded. “I had just finished off the pitcher.” She shared, her face still blushed from the alcohol pumping through her body. 

“I can tell.” Yachiyo stated as she finally sat Iroha down onto her bed, before she pulled the blanket from its made state so she could lay it over the drunk girl. “You need to get some sleep. I’ll bring up a glass of water.” She said as she carefully lifted Iroha’s hair to untie her hair and put the bands on the side table. 

Iroha blushed and let out a small giggle. “Thanks, Yachiyo.” She said, watching the older magical girl. 

Yachiyo couldn’t help her own blush at the way Iroha had giggles so comfortably. She didn’t address it, and just nodded. “Okay, I’m going to go get that water now. Make sure to drink it, as much as you can tonight, okay?” She didn’t follow up on why before she disappeared through the door. 

The drunk magical girl laid in her bed, her head filling up with fantasies that had been fulfilled in that night. Yachiyo had carried her to her room. She had managed to kiss Yachiyo. She had succeeded in sharing her love, even if Yachiyo told her to say it again tomorrow. Would Iroha even remember tonight? She had never had alcohol before besides small bits of wine at festivals that her parents allowed her to sip before. She didn’t know how it would really affect her. 

She was lost in her thoughts of how she would bring up what she had confessed tonight up to Yachiyo again in the daytime. The thoughts of her dwindling magic the furthest thing from her mind as she thought of plans to catch Yachiyo in the kitchen the next morning before the other girls got up, or maybe go to visit her in her bedroom later in the day, or even casually bringing it up again throughout their daily interactions even despite other residents of Mikazuki Villa being around. She definitely didn’t think she could confidently bring it up again with anyone else around though. 

Her door opened again and Yachiyo appeared with a tall glass of water. “Like I said, drink as much of this as you can tonight. Sake leaves a hellish headache in the morning if you don’t get enough water in during or after drinking it.” She advised. The older magical girl sat the glass atop Iroha’s side table before looking over at her. “Is there... anything else you need?” She asked, her voice a little softer. 

Iroha dared not say what she actually wanted, instead just shaking her head softly. “I think I’m okay.” The younger girl said, her eyes observing the other. “I’m sorry.” She said softly. Even though she wasn’t actively obsessively thinking of her aging as a magical girl, she did still remember that she had drank at least 6 shots of Yachiyo’s rice liquor. 

Yachiyo shook her head a little and smiled at Iroha. “We all make mistakes. Especially when we’re tested. I think I drank on a day like this for me at a much younger age, honestly.” Yachiyo may have been irresponsibly occasionally indulging as young as 15 years of age. She remembered getting so wasted when Mel became a witch, and again when Kanae’s soul gem was shattered that she was left in the bathroom at the end of the hall, almost literally puking her guts out while Mifuyu held her hair. While those moments weren’t so long ago, she was still rather ashamed of them, especially when she was definitely still under aged during the time. 

Iroha couldn’t say she was surprised, but she had always respected Yachiyo that imagining such a vulnerable state seemed foreign. “O-okay...” she spoke softly, hiding her face a little. Thinking of why she had started drinking had brought back a wave of emotion. 

The veteran frowned a little and watched Iroha for a second. “We... should discuss more about these current problems tomorrow. Maybe I can ease your mind a bit...” she said, obviously worried for the junior magical girl being so distressed because of the events of the day. “Do you want me to stay in here?” Yachiyo couldn’t shake the thought that Iroha might hurt herself if she were alone, but she wouldn’t force her presence if Iroha didn’t want it. 

Iroha felt embarrassed to think that Yachiyo offered to stay in her room, even if it meant sitting at the foot of her bed on the chest she kept her clothes in. She picked up the glass of water and took a few drinks before answering the older girl with a small nod. “That would be nice.” Iroha felt unpredictable. She knew it was due to the liquor in her body, but she felt erratic and her emotions were everywhere. 

Yachiyo nodded in agreement and sat down on the chest at the end of the bed. Somehow even something as simple as sitting atop an old wooden chest was aesthetic when it came to the senior magical girl. The moonlight peaking into the room was casting a dull light across half of Yachiyo’s body, and somehow her even expression made even her blue pyjamas a runway look. 

Iroha let out a small breath and closed her eyes after she set the glass back down on the table beside her. The world still felt like it was spinning and despite laying down, she felt like she couldn’t place which way was up with her eyes closed. She tried to ignore it as she tried to let the fatigue that was looming take over her. 

Yachiyo didn’t dare leave the room until she heard a soft snore coming from the younger girl. She looked over at the lighter haired girl and couldn’t help but smile a little when she saw that the girl had grabbed a bear she kept on her bed to cuddle, undoubtedly having used that to help her fall asleep. She carefully got up and sneaked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. 

The dark haired girl made her way to her own room, her mind unable to shake the impression of Iroha’s lips on her own. While she had played off the junior’s confession, she couldn’t doubt her own feelings of love for Iroha. She had locked those feelings away in a box, calling herself horrible things to push the thoughts away. But... Iroha had kissed her. It could have just been the alcohol; it had to just be the alcohol. 

Yachiyo shook her head as she stepped into her own room, trying to shake off the night. The whole day had been stressful, and Iroha’s confession had only made it worse. The older girl couldn’t play with those kinds of things, even if it had been nearly two years after they met. She had to continue acting as a mentor and she couldn’t do that right if she was also juggling a crush. She needed to be there for Iroha through her decaying magic and she couldn’t do so if she was too preoccupied with her own feelings. 

Yachiyo let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she got into her own bed, sighing as she covered her eyes with her hand. She turned her lamp off and rolled over. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. She needed to calm down before she could sleep. The way her heart pounded in her ears would never permit her to sleep. 

The elder magical girl manages to calm herself with some deep breathing and she began dozing off. Tomorrow would be interesting, considering she would probably have to explain to the other girls that Iroha was ‘sick’, a lie to cover for the hangover the other would undoubtedly have. Those were the last thoughts she entertained as she fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
